MCDONALD'S SWNEWS4U.COM GAME OF THE WEEK (Feb. 10–17)
WIAA WRESTLING: Division 2 Richland Center Sectional

By Jason Nihles, Boscobel Dial / The Platteville Journal / Fennimore Times

Platteville brothers Briggs and Dylan Weigel win sectional titles to qualify for WIAA State Tournament; BP advances to Team Sectionals
RICHLAND CENTER — Belmont/Platteville senior Dylan Weigel will have one last chance to win a WIAA Individual Wrestling state title and this year he will be joined by sophomore brother Briggs Weigel.

Dylan Weigel won the 144-pound title, while Briggs was the 132-pound champion at Saturday’s 16-team WIAA Division 2 Richland Center Sectional. Dylan Weigel (51–1) breezed through the 144-pound bracket Saturday with a first-round bye, a pin and back-to-back major decisions, the last a 13–2 win over Dodgeville senior Nathan Johnson (39–8). 

The older Weigel brother is now a four-year state qualifier. He went 56–5 and placed second at 138 a year ago as a junior and made it all the way back to state with a near-perfect record despite tearing his ACL in baseball last spring.

Briggs Weigel (47–6) earned his first trip to state with a bye, a 14–1 major decision and a pair of pins. He pinned Mount Horeb/Barneveld freshman Maxton Stevens (35–17) just 50 seconds into the 132-pound title bout.

The top two finishers in each weight class at the seven Division 2 sectionals across the state advance to wrestler for individual state titles Feb. 26–28 at the Kohl Center in Madison.

“We’re incredibly proud of both Briggs and Dylan,” said BP head coach Emeric Williams. “To not only qualify for state but to win sectional titles in one of the toughest sectionals in Wisconsin says a lot about their work ethic, preparation, and leadership. 

“They’ve put in countless hours year-round, and it showed this weekend. They competed with confidence, stayed composed in big moments, and represented our program the right way. They both have big goals, and hopefully they continue their run in two weeks.”

Three BP wrestlers experienced the bitter taste of finishing third Saturday to just miss out on a trip to state.

Senior Tyler Kisamore’s (49–7) individual wrestling career ended with a third-place finish at 157 pounds after going 4–2. Fellow senior Thomas Kastner (17–11) also went 4–2 and placed third at 295 pounds. Sophomore James Kastner (31–17) went 4–2 and scored 21 teams points to finish third at 106 pounds.

“That’s always the hardest part of sectionals,” said coach Williams. “Tyler, James, and Thomas all wrestled extremely well and left everything on the mat. When you’re competing in a sectional with multiple ranked teams and state contenders in nearly every bracket, the margin is razor thin. 

“I hurt for those guys because I know how much they invested this season. At the same time, I couldn’t be prouder of their fight and leadership. They played a huge role in our team success, and their efforts are a big reason we’re still competing this week.”

Belmont/Platteville finished third out of 16 teams at Saturday’s Richland Center Sectional behind only champion Evansville (246.5) and runner-up Mount Horeb/Barneveld (205.5).

The top-six teams advanced to this Saturday’s WIAA D2 Lodi Team Sectional. 

Belmont/Platteville earned the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 seed Reedsburg (128 points) in a first round match Saturday morning. The winner will advance to face No. 2 Mount Horeb/Barneveld, which earned a first-round bye, in a semifinal dual. No. 1 seed Evansville earned the other first round bye and will face the winner of No. 4 Lodi (143) and No. 5 Stoughton (136).

“Placing third in what many consider the toughest sectional in the state — with four ranked teams — is something our entire program should be proud of,” said Williams/ “It speaks to our depth, consistency, and the culture our guys have built. Advancing to Team Sectionals for the third time in four years is a huge accomplishment, and again, speaks volumes to the culture we have here. 

“This group believes in each other, competes for each other, and that’s what makes it special. We’re excited for the opportunity on Saturday and ready to keep building.”

The winner of Saturday’s team sectional will advance to the new-look seven-team WIAA D2 Team State Tournament March 6–7 at the La Crosse Center.

WIAA Division 2 
Richland Center Sectional
(from Saturday, Feb. 14 @ Richland Center)
Team scores: 1.Evansville 246, 2.Mount Horeb/Barneveld 205.5, 3.Belmont/Platteville 143.5, 4.Lodi 143, 5.Stoughton 136, 6.Reedsburg 128, 7.Belleville/New Glarus 111.5, 8.Fennimore 105, 9.Dodgeville 97.5, 10.Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern 87.5, 11.Baraboo 64.5, 12.Monroe 64, 13.Richland Center 29.5, 14.River Valley 28, 15.Portage 25, 16.Brodhead/Juda 20.5
Belmont/Platteville state qualifiers
132: Briggs Weigel (47–6) went 4–0, CHAMPION, scored 29 points
1st Round — Weigel (BP) had a bye
Quarters — Weigel (BP) over Brandon Staver (Evansville) (Fall 1:47)
Semis — Weigel (BP) over Traven Johnson (Reedsburg) (Major Dec 14-1)
1st place match — Weigel (BP) over Maxton Stevens (MH/B) (Fall 0:50)
144: Dylan Weigel (47–6) went 4–0, CHAMPION, scored 28 points
1st Round — Weigel (BP) had a bye
Quarters — Weigel (BP) over Max Giroux (RV) (Fall 3:22)
Semis — Weigel (BP) over Race Howlett (Evansville) (Major Dec. 13-3)
1st place match — Weigel (BP) over Nathan Johnson (39-8) (Dod) (Major Dec. 13-2)
Belmont/Platteville other results
106: James Kastner (31–17) went 4–2, 3rd place, scored 21 team points
1st Round — Kastner (BP) had a bye
Quarters — Kastner (BP) over Isaac Ziegler (Lodi) (Major Dec 14-0)
Semis — Bryce Madden (MH/B) over Kastner (BP) (Tech Fall 16-0)
Cons. Semis — Kastner (BP) over Joey Savaske (Stoughton) (Fall 3:37)
3rd place match — Kastner (BP) over Hunter Wrhel (Evansville) (Fall 4:54)
2nd place match — Madden (MH/B) over Kastner (BP) (By Rule)
113: Payton Morshead (16–23) went 1–3, 8th place, scored 5 team points
126: Aiden Weigel (16–7) went 0–1, DNP
138: Jaxcyn McCartney (9–14) went 0–1, DNP
150: Jesse Kastner (20–18) went 1–3, 8th place, scored 5 team points
157: Tyler Kisamore (49–7) went 4–2, 3rd place, scored 20.5 points
1st Round — Kisamore (BP) had a bye
Quarters — Kisamore (BP) over Bronko Baer (B/M/NG) (Fall 0:39)
Semis — Alex Breunig (Lodi) over Kisamore (BP) (Major Dec. 14-5)
Cons. Semis — Kisamore (BP) over Adryan Wessels (Evans) (Tech Fall 18-0)
3rd place match — Kisamore (BP) over Connor Eckdahl (Monroe) (Major Dec 13-5)
2nd place match —Breunig (Lodi) over Kisamore (BP) (By Rule)
165: Jerdan Crase (13–26) went 1–3, 8th place, scored 5 team points
190: Cam Moore (29–20) went 1–3, 8th place, scored 5 team points
215: Ethan Burggraf (21–27) went 1–3, 8th place, scored 5 team points
285: Thomas Kastner (17–11) went 4–2, 3rd place, scored 21 points
1st Round — Kastner (BP) had a bye
Quarters — Kastner (BP) over Austin Browne (Lodi) (Fall 2:54)
Semis — Gatlin Empey (43-1) (Stoughton) over Kastner (BP) (Fall 0:27)
Cons. Semis — Kastner (BP) over Calvin Kravick (Portage) (Tech Fall 22-2)
3rd place match — Kastner (BP) over John Rogers (Baraboo) (Tech Fall 18-1)
2nd place match — Tanner Zastoupil (37-4) (Evansville) over Kastner (BP) (Fall 1:03)